In vitro anthelmintic activity of methanolic extract of Macaranga denticulata leaves in Pheretima posthuma

Parasitic diseases cause extreme horribleness by influencing population in endemic areas with major economic and social outcomes. More than half of the population of the world suffers from various types of infection and majority of cattle suffer from worm infections. So there is a need to find new drugs to treat parasitic diseases.Methanolic extract from the leaves of Macaranga denticulata Muell. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) was investigated for their anthelmintic activity against Pheretima posthuma. Three concentrations (25, 50 and 100 mg/ml) of the extract were studied, which involved the determination of time of paralysis and time of death of the worm. It was found that this extract exhibited significant anthelmintic activity. Albendazole in 10 mg/ml concentration was included as standard reference and 0.5% CMC as a control. Results showed that the methanolic extract was potent as it took near time of highest concentration (100 mg/ml) to cause paralysis and death of the earthworms as compared to the standard reference drug.